Air pollution in Northern China cuts life expectancy by 5.5 years

An international study has found that severe pollution during the 1990s cut five and a half years from the average life expectancy of people living in northern China, where toxic air has lead to increased rates of stroke, heart disease and cancer. This is the first such study conducted using data sourced from China, and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the study, harmful particulates in northern China is now 55% higher than in southern China, as is evident from the thick clouds of smog drowning northern cities like Beijing. A leading source of the pollution is coal emissions, with China consuming as much coal each year as almost the rest of the world combined.

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[…] According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution causes an estimated seven (7) million premature deaths per year worldwide. Air pollution is even more hazardous in China, particularly in northern China where the quantity of harmful particulates is up to 55% higher than in southern China, and where an international study found that severe pollution during the 1990s cut five and a half years from the average life expectancy. […]